“Something More,” the first single from Secondhand Serenade’s third album, “Hear Me Now,” has an apt title, says group founder John Vesely.

“The label was telling me that we needed more songs for the album, that we weren’t quite done, and I was worried my album was never going to come out,” says Vesely, who started the group as a solo project seven years ago in his home town of Menlo Park, Calif. “So I just sat at the piano and started writing the song.

“It was a lot different than any of the other songs I’d written, and it ... became the first single.”

“Hear Me Now” also found Vesely taking a co-producer’s role after letting others helm his previous two Secondhand Serenade releases.

“I really enjoyed it,” says Vesely, who collaborated with Aaron Johnson on some but not all of the album’s 11 tracks. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do and finally had the confidence to go out and do it.

“Some of my favorite songs are the ones I produced myself, in fact. It was a really great experience for me, and I think I’ll be doing more (producing) in the future.”